Printing-surface selector control



Jan. 5, 1943. w. E. HAMLIN PRINTING- -SURFACE SELECTOR CONTROL Filed NOV. 21, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. .WALTER E.'HAML|N BY ATTORNEYS Jan. 5, 1943.

w. E. HAMLIN PRINTING-SURFACE SELECTOR CONTROL Filed Nov. 21, 1959 v 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 r-- spring /v llllllllllllllllll INVENTOR.

WALTER E HAMLIN.

ATTORNEY D EH14.

Patented Jan. 5, 1943 UNITE sr'ries PRINTING-SURFACE SELECTOR CONTROL Application November 21, 1939, Serial No. 305,529

5 Claims.

Printing presses are customarily equipped with been run. Enormously increased output is thus possible, and with accuracy and a minimum of skilled supervision requirement.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, the invention, then, comprises the features hereinafter fully described, and particularly pointed out in the claims, the following description and the annexed drawings setting forth in detail certain illustrative embodiments of the invention, these being indicative however, of but a few of the various ways in which the principle of the invention may be employed.

In said annexed drawings:

Fig. 1 is a semi-schematic vertical section through impression and plate cylinders embodying the invention; Fig. 2 is a fragmentary plan view of the plate cylinder P taken on a plane substantially indicated by line II, Fig. l, on enlarged scale andshowing the operating mechanism at the end; Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on a plane substantially indicated by line III, Fig. 2; and Fig. 4 is a wiring diagram showing one illustrative connection for shifting the printing surfaces.

A printing press including impression cylinders I, I, and coacting plate cylinders P, P, in as many units as desired, the number being immaterial to the present invention, is arranged with the plate cylinder carrying a plurality of printing surfaces, for instance as sections or segments, a, b, 0, etc., in number as desired, each such printing surface representing a form which is to berun while the others are out of action, an illustrative use being a filling in for instance of some matter in black or color supplementing matter which has already been printed on the on-coming paper. may be in number two or more as individual conditions may make desirable, and in order that the printing surface which is to be active may make its impression on the paper as carried through on the impression cylinder, no otherprinting form being active, the blanket of the impression cylinder is appropriately raised at 1 As stated, the printing surfaces a, etc.,

anextent sufficient to accommodate the desired printing surface in coaction, by insertion of an under-lay as known'in the art. Thus, with the press in operation,.the impression cylinder being in inter-geared relation, the selected printing surface, as for instance form a, Fig. 1, will appropriately contact the traveling paper, while the remaining portion of the plate cylinder will not. The plate cylinder is provided with a shaft or gudgeons 6, Fig. 3, mounted in bearings I and framing 8, and splined on the shaft portion is one member 9 of a clutch, whose other member 40 is rotatably mounted and may desirably embody also the toothed gear portion in mesh with the drive. The preferred form of the clutch is a one-way slip clutch having a number of teeth :2 corresponding to the numberof printing surface segments a etc., and being normally urged into locking relation by spring means 13 and having an operating fork M in coaction with a grooved collar portion ill on clutch member 9. As seen from such construction, the plate cylinder through its shaft 6 is normally clutched to the drive gear H which is in mesh with and receiving drive motion in common with the gearing 5 for the impression cylinder, etc., but if the clutch fork It be slid out the drive is declutched for a period of time or are of rotation corresponding to the interval of de-clutching. With a momentary de-clutching as related to the rotation, and then the spring-locking reclutching the plate cylinder in effect incurs a relative movement of one step or one printing form. It is particularly desirable to operate the clutch by remote control which does not necessitate individual attention to each clutch for a desired change of printing form. Advantageously also, remote control operation of the clutch may includea further feature of automatic control after a predetermined number of copies of paper have been run off from a form. Accordingly, a .esirable construction includes an electromagnet or solenoid ll whose core [8 operates a bell crank lever l9 fulcrumed on the framing at 20,

and whose operating arm.2i continues into the clutch fork portion 14. Referring to Fig. 4, it is seen that the operating current for the electromagnet ll comes from the line supply L through an electromagnetic switch 23, Whose detail may vary, but which in general includes switch arm operating electromagnetic coil means 24, making and breaking the circuit from the line to the clutch operating magnet ll through contact arms 25, the circuit 26 to the switch operating coil 24 being controlled by suitable means, hand-controlled switch-operated or automatically-operated as preferred in any given instance. and illustrative details of which are set forth hereinafter. In connection with such circuit 26, as a refinement additionally advantageous in certain instances, I may also include a switch 29, to be operated simultaneously with the armature or core l8 of the electromagnet I1 and preferably thereby, to immediately open the circuit 25 when the clutch is operated and thus allow only a momentary action of the magnet I! in a de-clutching operation to involve just one tooth and no more. correspondingly, the plate cylinder is moved only one step relatively. Of course, delay action as desired in any given case may be provided so as to step the printing surface relatively as far as may be desired. A manually operable switch 32 may permit hand control of the relative movement of the plate cylinder to cocasion a change of printing surface, current being supplied from L through connections 59, ii, 25, 12, switch 32, and connection 19; but more particularly it is desirable to accomplish the change automatically by the completion of a predetermined number of copies run off from the press. To this end, the press including the printing means, plate cylinder P, impression cylinder I, etc., and the discharging means, involving folding and cutting means F, as need not be ascribed in detail, is associated with a tallying means I. The latter may be actuated directly by a revolving part, as for instance a shaft in the folder and cutter mechanism. More desirably though, the tallying means may be operated through its lever arm 34, on its rock shaft 35 by an armature 35 of a magnet 31 whose electric circuit 38 is made and broken with each revolution of shaft 39 in the folding and cutting means, a projection 40 serving to contact in revolution an arm 4| through an anti-friction roller 42, and thereby making and breaking the circuit in the switch 43. As an additional refinement, it is desirable in some cases to provide a stop means in order to prevent erroneous tallying in event of failure of the paper. While this may involve any suitable means for such purpose, preferably I employ a mechanical-electric means, as being more consistently reliable and dependable. This may involve for instance an arm 44, Figs. 4 and 5, as an angular extension of lever arm 440, the latter having slight rockable move ment in a vertical plane, being pivotally mounted in the casing 44b such as to normally bridge electric contacts in the circuit 38 leading to the tallying means, as the arm 44 is held in its lowermost position. With such arm in the path of the continuous stream of papers being discharged from the folder and cutter discharger D, and lying in such path over the off-take conveyor 0. the stream of papers discharging onto the conveyor will normally maintain the circuit 38 closed, but when the paper stream fails, the arm 44, being spring supported inits mounting, raises and breaks, the circuit 38 and stops the tallying means.

The tallying means T may be of any known or preferred detail construction, one illustrative form being on the lines of U. S. Patent No. 2,040,026, and further description thereof is unnecessary here, it being sufficient to say that it may involve a series of cumulating ratchet-driven gear wheels with visible indicia 41 at the dial and adjacent optionally settable wheels 48 accessible for adjusting to a desired set number by opening the housing, and having a suitable hand-setting return control 49, whereby the dial and corresponding mechanism may be set to a desired number which is to be run off, whereupon the trip engages. Such trip closes the circuit 50 leading from the tallying means, normally open, but thus closed by said trip at the moment of completion of the predetermined count, and this circuit extends directly into circuit 26 of the plate cylinder shifting electromagnet.

The operation of the device will be readily understood from the foregoing. The web of paper being continuously printed and folded and passed through the cutting means, the arm 40 on the shaft 39 thereof actuates the circuitclosing means 43 to the electro-magnet 31 operating the tallying means T. The latter steps up one for each paper so passing. Finally, on completion of the predetermined number of papers for which the tallying means has been set, the trip therein closes the circuit 50. The hand-operated switch 54 is closed, the switch H being normally open, and the circuit 50 continuing on into the circuit 26, the latter being energized through the tallying means by current passing from L through connections 69, ll, 26, 12, '59, tallying means T, connections 13, switch 54, connections 71 and 10, throws the contact arms 25 by means of electro-magnet 24 and line current from the line L proceeds through the electro-magnet ii to operate the shifter-solenoid i8 and thereby lever l9 slips the clutch one tooth to shift the plate cylinder printing surface one step. The same control circuit may operate additional shifter-magnets l1, up to any number as desired.

In some cases, as a further refinement, I may provide an automatic shifting control which includes also the features of stopping the press on the run-out of the predetermined number of papers for which the tallying means T has been set. Thus, there may be included in circuit with the tallying means T an electro-magnetic switch E controlling the main press motor drive through electro-magnetic switches 62, S and rheostat motor 80. Illustratively, with this, its operation is cut in after the enabling hand-controlled switch H is closed, switch 54 being open and'switch 55 being closed, and then on completion of the set number of papers the tallying mechanism T closes the circuit 55, and current flows from L through connections 69, H, 26, 12, 50, tallying means T, connections 13, switch 55, connections 53, 5|, switch H, and connection 10, through the electromagnet 5| of the electromagnetic switch E, and the magnet 5| pulls the switch bar 51 which carries, insulated, the switch arms 58, 59, in movement toward the left, as viewed in Fig. 4. The arm 58 bridges the contacts 59', 60, establishing a flow of line current through the electromagnet 62 and its circuit 63, 64, and the arm 59 makes a continuing circuit through the contact points 61, 68, for the magnet 5| through 69 from one side of the line, and 68, 12, 55 and 53 and 70 to the other. The action of the electro-magnet 62 is to pull switch bar 13 to the left, as viewed in Fig. 4, and its arm 14 then bridges the contacts l5, Hi, to complete the circuits from the line L to the small motor which through gearing 8| operates the rheostat R which controls the general motor press drive through the leads 83, 84, 85, the operation now initiated being to move the rheostat arm to throw in increasing resistance in the press drive circuit 83, 84, 85, and slow down the drive to final stoppage. If the press however is not to be stopped at this time on manually closing a switch 88 an electro-magnet S is energized and this magnet, controls a switch bar 86 carrying arms 9!, 92, to bridge contacts 93, 94, and 95, 96, thereby allowing flow of current to the rheostat motor 80, and the latter throwing out resistance puts the press motor drive circuit to normal operating speed. Coincident with the operation of the arm of the rheo-stat R, the switch 2! is arranged in its path to be closed, and thereby establish the flow of current through circuit 26 to the plate cylinder shifting magnet l'i. Thus, the printing surface is shifted on completion of the run out of the number for which the tallying means T was set.

The operation of the press is clearly understood from the foregoing. When for any reason it is desired to stop the press at any time, the manually-operated switch iilii which is normally open, may be closed and thereby appropriately operating the electro-magnetic switch 82 to stop the main drive. To start the press, all that is necessary is for the operator to close the starter switch 88, which, actuating the electro-magnet S and its switch bar til establishes current flow to the rheostat motor 80 in the direction of throwing out resistance and putting the press motor drive up to normal operating speed.

Other modes of applying the principle of the invention may be employed, change being made as regards the details described, provided the features stated in any of the following claims, or the equivalent of such, be employed.

I therefore particularly point out and distinctly claim as my invention:

1. In apparatus of the character described having a general motor drive means and means for printing and discharging papers and tallying means operated thereby, said means for printin including an impression cylinder and a plate cylinder whose printing surface is in separatelyusable sections, means for rotating said plate cylinder in association with its impression cylinder,

a one-way spring-lock step clutch connecting said cylinder to its rotating-drive, and means for relatively moving said plate cylinder to change its acting surface while the cylinder is in rotation, said means including an electromagnet with an operating arm to slip the clutch a desired step, a switch actuated by said arm for preventing overaction of said electromagnet, and control circuit means for said electromagnet including an operating relay therefor and a control for said relay actuated by said tallying means.

2. In apparatus of the character described having a general motor drive means and means for printing and discharging papers and tallying means operated thereby, said means for printing including an impression cylinder and a plate cylinder whose printing surface is in separately-usable sections, means for rotating said plate cylinder in association with its impression cylinder, a oneway spring-lock step clutch connecting said cylinder to its rotating-drive, and means for relatively moving said plate cylinder to change its acting surface while the cylinder is in rotation, said means including an electromagnet with an operating arm to slip the clutch a desired step, a switch actuated by said arm for preventing over-action of said electromagnet, and control circuit means for said electromagnet including a switch and means in common for operating the same and for stopping the general motor drive, and a relay controlled by said tallying means for actuating the last-named means.

3. In apparatus of the character described having a general motor drive means and means for printing and discharging papers, including an impression cylinder and a plate cylinder whose printing surface is in selectively usable arcuate printing sections, means for rotating said plate cylinder in association with its impression cylinder, electromagnetic means for uncoupling said plate cylinder to permit motion relative to its drive while in operation to put one of the arcuate printing sections into use, circuit means for controlling said means, and means correlating the relative movement of the plat cylinder in exactness to one arcuate printing section, said means including a clutch having arcuate teeth each equal to an arcuate printing section and circuit-breaking means for preventing over-run of said clutch.

4. In an apparatus for printing, the combination of an impression cylinder, a plate cylinder carrying a plurality of segmental printing sur faces, means for rotating said plate cylinder in association with the impression cylinder, a sliptooth clutch connecting said plate cylinder to said rotating means, electromagnetic means to slip the clutch to change a segment of the plate cylinder printing surface, and means operable by said electromagnetic means for de-energizing the electromagnetic means at the time the clutch is slipped.

5. In an apparatus for printing, the combination of an impression cylinder, a plate cylinder carrying a plurality of segmental printing surfaces, means for rotating said plate cylinder in association with the impression cylinder, a sliptooth clutch connecting said plate cylinder to said rotating means, electro-magnetic means to slip the clutch to change a segment of the plate cylinder printing surface, means operable by said electromagnetic means for de-energizing the electromagnetic means at the time the clutch is slipped, and remote control means for actuating said electromagnetic means to operate the clutch.

WALTER E. HAI /ILIN. 

